free the RATS of Tanzania!

["Adam Gertsacov" <kafclown@well.com>]

 from:   
 http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html

RATS JOIN WAR AGAINST LAND MINES

 RATS could soon
 be the next weapon in the fight to
 detect land mines. A Tanzanian
 local newspaper reported that a
 project, a joint enterprise between
 Sokoine University of Agriculture
 and a Belgian NGO, is underway
 to train African giant pouch rats to
 identify the presence of land
 mines by smell. The rodents are
 to be trained to recognise the
 smell of TNT. According to Belgian
 researchers, rats are a better
 choice than dogs in that they have
 a better sense of smell, are
 cheaper to keep and maintain and
 are more resistant to certain
 tropical diseases. Also as rats are
 smaller more can be transported
 and they are suitable for repetitive
 tasks. Laboratory rats are been
 trained to mark a mine area and to
 pinpoint the position of individual
 landmines. To identify the
 minefield, laboratory rats are given
 soil samples to smell, and
 indicate the presence of dynamite
 vapour by pressing one of two
 levers. Once the minefield has
 been mapped, the rats sniff out a
 landmine and sit beside it waiting
 to be rewarded with food, The
 catch say researchers, is that it
 may be necessary to have the rats
 on a leash working an area of
 maybe 10-15 square metres at a
 time to prevent them from running
 off.

 http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html



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